City Boy #5 cover, via DC Comics.
City Boy #5 — Greg Pak, Writer; Minkyu Jung, Artist; Sebastian Cheng, Colorist
Ray — 8.5/10
Ray: Over the course of this series, Cameron has been searching both for his mother and for his true identity, as he worries that his powers are turning him into a threat to Earth itself. We knew his mother abandoned him, but as a prelude this issue shows, she may have been abusive as well — and he was displaying some disturbing behavior as a child. That uncertainty leads him to Bludhaven, where he traces his mother’s footsteps in the days before the bomb that killed most of the city back during Infinite Crisis. But his high emotions cause his powers to spiral out of control, creating another monster. And that attracts the attention of someone whose connection to the world might be even more powerful than Cameron’s — Swamp Thing, the avatar of the Parliament of Trees. It’s not stated, but this is likely the new Swamp Thing, Levi Kamei, who was created by Ram V and Mike Perkins.
Searching. Via DC Comics.
Levi obviously dealt with his own deeply traumatic family history, which cost him his father and turned his brother into a villain in that series. This makes him an ideal therapist for Cameron as he gets closer to the truth about his mother — and also gives Swamp Thing the chance to shut down Cameron’s uncontrolled attacks as he loses control of his emotions. This started out as an intriguing tale of a new metahuman, but developed into one of the most interesting takes on childhood trauma and recovery I’ve read in a while. It feels a little rushed, because the end of this issue reminds us that there’s still a main villain to deal with and only one issue to do it in. But much like its fellow books to debut this month, The Vigil and Spirit World, the only flaw they have is with a little too much ambition. It feels like they’re all leaving the DCU a more interesting and more diverse place than it started.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
